To Kill A Mockingbird

A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, Scout, as her father, Atticus Finch -- a crusading local lawyer-- risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

Opinion

From Library Staff

"Atticus Finch. I anticipate this would be a fascinating conversation over dinner. He is heroic and noble while also having the strength to stand up against a corrupt system. I would love to explore more of his background that shaped him into the person he is in this book."

It’s impossible to praise this beautiful novel too highly. Just two quick points about it. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)
First, near the end of the book, Scout narrates: “Jem said he would take me” to a Hallowe’en evening pageant at a high school a short walk from their house. We know that the children in it will appear dressed as different food products of Maycomb County. Scout will be dressed as a ham. What could be more innocuous? This is followed by: “Thus began our longest journey together” which warns the reader that something terrible is about to happen. Thackeray foreshadows in the same way in “Barry Lyndon” but other novelists never do this.
Second, when one of Scout’s classmates tells Scout that her father is a radical, Atticus says to his daughter: “You tell Cecil I’m about as radical as Cotton Tom Heflin”, a white supremacist Alabama politician. So if “Go Set a Watchman” reveals that Atticus held some racist views, they are already hinted at in “To Kill a Mockingbird”. When you think about it, given his milieu, it would have been surprising if Atticus, good man though he was, had been untainted by them.

This is a book that you have to read multiple times to really understand the layered perspectives in it. It is America's classic novel. Considered one of the best of all time for our culture - this is definitely worth seeing.

I read this in high school. A few weeks ago I happened to see the movie on TV where Gregory Peck starred as Atticus Finch. Peck is incredible. It is not often that a movie is as good as the original book, but Peck gives life to the character exactly as I imagined him to be. It inspired me to read the book again -- the movie skips elements of the story due to time constraints -- a great tale about justice in the deep south at a time when Blacks rarely were given a fair trial. This is one of those books that everyone needs to read.

Quotes

“Atticus said to Jem one day, "I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father’s right," she said. "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Summary

Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6,and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

olive_bird_01
Jun 13, 2015

Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6,and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

Jem and Scout who live in Maycomb, Alabama with their father Atticus Finch.
Atticus Finch is a lawyer and he is defending Tom Robinson who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Mayella's dad Bob Ewell is a very cruel man who beats up Mayella and blames everything on Tom. Boo Radley in Jem and Scout's neighbor. Everyone thinks Boo killed his own father. One night Jem and Scout were on their way home and were attacked by Bob Ewell and Bob tried to kill Jem and Scout. But Boo Radley saved them by killing Bob Ewell.
Now as Scout dropped Boo Radley home and when she stood on Boo Radley's porch she saw Maycomb through the eyes of Boo Radley. She finally understood why Atticus would always tell her to climb into someones shoes and see the world through their eyes.

In this story, the life of a young girl is interrupted with the trial and sentencing of a black man who her father has chosen to defend. It paints a vivid portrait of life in the south, justice, and innocence.